


the adventures of lightning rod and popsicle kid

by vonseal



Series: wanna be your superhero [2]
Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, First Kiss, M/M, Rated T for language, Romance, lol what is socky and how do i write it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 22:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9681113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: [From Sanha]: I think thats mars. You want to live on Mars?[To Sanha]: its not a star but sure. Plenty of room and space :)[From Sanha]: which you wont be getting any of because im moving to mars with you.





	

**Author's Note:**

> its the socky fic that no one asked for! (i lied, a few people i think asked me.) also it's bad, heads up.

When Sanha first looked his way, Minhyuk felt his heart race slightly.

And sure, maybe the poor kid needed to go to the hospital, and maybe Minhyuk needed to go take a healing rest himself, but in that particular moment, surrounded by the ruins of a small coffee shop, Minhyuk decided that he liked the way Sanha looked. He liked the boy's weirdly-dyed hair, he liked the boy's bright eyes, he liked the boy's animated way of talking.

He really liked Sanha.

“So you have Myungjun's number now?” he asked casually as Jinwoo checked him over for any serious injuries.

“No. He has _my_ number.”

Minhyuk sighed slightly. He had been hoping he could coerce Jinwoo into getting Sanha's number for him, but if Myungjun was the one calling the shots in the relationship, it might be more difficult. “You think he'll text you?”

“He's been badgering me for my number for weeks,” Jinwoo responded, cleaning off a small cut he had found on Minhyuk's arm. “I'm going to be really shocked if he doesn't text me.”

Minhyuk hoped that Myungjun would get on it as fast as possible. The quicker Myungjun started chatting up Jinwoo, the quicker Minhyuk would be able to get Sanha's number.

But that didn't seem to be the case.

“Did he text you yet?” A week had already passed and Jinwoo had yet to look truly satisfied with life, which Minhyuk assumed meant that Myungjun had yet to contact him.

His answer was a scowl, and Jinwoo closed the door to his room rather roughly.

Minhyuk scoffed. Myungjun was an idiot and Minhyuk hated him.

Jinwoo was the one who finally made the first move, and Minhyuk decided that Myungjun was all talk and no show. But it didn't really matter anymore, because when Jinwoo came home with an actual grin, Minhyuk was happy for him.

Minhyuk was also happy because he could finally ask for Sanha's number – except he _couldn't_.

“You look like you want to say something,” Jinwoo commented as the two of them ate dinner.

Minhyuk shrugged his shoulders and picked at his vegetables. “Just thinking. Have you and Myungjun been texting a lot?”

Whenever he mentioned Myungjun's name, Jinwoo would light up like he had just been given all of the money in the world.

“Yup! He's such a weirdo. I don't know anyone else who uses as many emoticons as he does.”

Minhyuk had honestly never seen Jinwoo so happy before. Maybe this Myungjun guy wasn't so bad if he could bring this sort of smile to Jinwoo's face.

“So, um...how's that friend of his?”

“He's fine, I guess. I mean, Myungjun still talks about him from time to time.” Jinwoo looked up from his meal. “Why? Does Minhyuk have a crush?”

Minhyuk did have a crush. Minhyuk totally did have a crush. But Minhyuk was also a teenager who still went to high school and was _too cool_ to be infatuated with some tall, gangly kid who still wore braces.

So he scoffed and pretended he wasn't head over heels in love with someone he had just met once. He wasn't a girl. He was a superhero, and superheroes didn't get crushes on stupid people, unless they were Jinwoo.

“As _if_. Why do you think I'd be in love with a kid who towers over me?”

Jinwoo smiled brightly. Minhyuk was about to throw his food in Jinwoo's face.

“Just making sure,” Jinwoo hummed.

And Minhyuk knew that Jinwoo knew, but there wasn't much he could do about that. Denying his love any further would just make Jinwoo tease him all the more. If he ignored the problem at hand, Jinwoo wouldn't find it fun anymore.

Minhyuk was grateful that Jinwoo was a simple man.

* * *

He had asked Jinwoo before why he couldn't be homeschooled. After all, he was a _superhero_. Did superheroes really have to go to school?

(“Spiderman went to school,” Jinwoo had answered when Minhyuk posed the question. “And then he went to university and he was smart and never fell behind on his studies and _villains_ are the ones who probably drop out of school with the intention of being homeschooled and end up down a path of evil, and do you _want_ to-”

And there was a reason Minhyuk tried not to bring up school too often around Jinwoo.)

It had been difficult at first to keep a check on his powers. His mom hadn't liked the fact that her son could shoot lightning bolts out of his hands, and after a tragic accident with his father's favorite fish, he was soon out of the house.

He didn't realize fish came before sons, but it suited him just fine. Jinwoo's apartment was much smaller and Jinwoo couldn't cook as well as his mom could, but Jinwoo at least loved him more than anyone had before, so he had that going for him.

It did entail going to a completely new school, however, in a town he had never been in before, and Minhyuk didn't like the adjustment. He didn't know anyone here, even after months of classes, and was just ducking his head and trying to survive.

His teachers liked him well enough, if only because he turned in his homework on time (in between fighting bad guys, Jinwoo did force him to work diligently on homework, so he supposed he had Jinwoo to thank for making him turn into a teacher's pet), and the rest of the students either ignored him or acknowledged his existence politely. He couldn't make any friends, due to his lack of time for a social life, but that was all fine and dandy with him.

It didn't seem fine and dandy with the rest of the universe, however, not when it suddenly decided that Minhyuk _really_ needed to ruin his own life by running into some poor kid and spilling his milk all over a nice-looking sweater.

“Oh my god, I'm _so_ -”

He would have apologized because he was raised to be a polite boy, but then he got a look into the face of the kid he had just run into.

It was Myungjun's popsicle-look-alike friend.

Minhyuk realized he had just spilled milk all over the kid he had been crushing on for weeks.

The apology was caught in his throat, and the popsicle-kid was saying something, but Minhyuk wasn't going to stick around to listen. Ignoring the stares of a few people seated nearby, and the popsicle kid himself, Minhyuk turned and _ran_.

He ran into a few people in his attempt to escape, but at that moment, he didn't even care.

He didn't even care until he was walking home later and suddenly felt a burst of excitement cloud his humiliation. That kid went to his school! That kid was right within his reach, and if Minhyuk could figure out how to actually speak to him properly, they might even be able to start dating, and then Minhyuk would smile just as much as Jinwoo did.

And speaking of Jinwoo, he was more than ecstatic to spread his good news, so he hurried home and slammed the front door wide open.

“Jinwoo, guess who-!”

Jinwoo was making out with Myungjun.

Gross.

(He wanted to do that with popsicle kid one day.)

* * *

Myungjun was nice, Minhyuk decided. A little weird, but nice and helpful enough, since he gave Minhyuk that kid's number (Sanha was his name, and Minhyuk decided he liked it a lot). Except Minhyuk was too nervous to do anything with it. He was supposed to apologize and explain himself and maybe ask Sanha on a date, but he couldn't press that stupid text button.

He rolled over on his bed and groaned into his pillow in frustration.

A knock sounded at his door and he lifted his head just enough to call out, “Come in!”

It was Jinwoo, of course, who was smiling brightly at him (the bastard shouldn't be smiling, not after he pushed Myungjun hard enough to nearly make a dent in their wall). “So? Have you sent him a text?”

Minhyuk glanced at his phone. The number was mocking him.

“Not yet.”

“Why?” He felt the dip in the bed as Jinwoo sat down on the edge.

“Won't it be a little weird? I mean, he's probably going to feel a little confused if I text him out of nowhere. I've never talked to him before, either, except for when we were fighting that villain. And he was talking to _Rocky_ , not to _Minhyuk_.”

“Then let him talk to Minhyuk this time.”

Minhyuk sighed and let his phone drop lightly onto his mattress. “You make it sound really easy, Jinwoo.”

“Because it _is_ really easy.” Jinwoo was quiet for a few seconds before patting Minhyuk's leg in a comforting manner. When Minhyuk glanced over at him, there was a soft smile on Jinwoo's face. “I just want you to be happy. And if Sanha makes you happy, then I want you to go and kiss Sanha.”

“Gross.” Minhyuk buried his face back in the pillow and ignored Jinwoo's laugh. The pat on his leg came again, and Jinwoo stood from the bed. “If you're not going to text him, at least try to get some sleep, alright? You have school tomorrow morning, and I need you to patrol a little bit in the afternoon when you get off.”

Minhyuk gave an incomprehensible mutter, and Jinwoo seemed to accept it as confirmation and left the room.

Had he been as brave as he was fighting super villains and deplorable criminals, Minhyuk would have taken this chance to text Sanha and establish some form of relationship. However, he was less skilled when it came to love and romance. He had never had any sort of crush like this one before and he wasn't exactly positive that his feelings would even be returned. Surely it would be better to stare at Sanha from afar rather than attempt to confess, fail, and end up making a fool of himself, wouldn't it?

So while Minhyuk kept the number stored away in his phone, just in case, he didn't send any texts.

And he didn't sleep at all that night.

* * *

Avoiding Sanha was incredibly easy, considering Sanha was in a lower grade and thus didn't have any _need_ to mingle with Minhyuk and his own classmates. However, there would be one or two moments where Minhyuk would catch sight of him, his height and hair color making him difficult to miss, and he would duck behind whatever student he could find.

Obviously, this earned him the scrutiny of his peers, but at least Sanha was unable to spot him again.

One day, he decided, he would apologize for ruining such a nice sweater. Just not today. Or the next day. Or any day in the foreseeable future when his heart raced at the very _sight_ of Sanha. Later, perhaps, when his little crush had disappeared, he would apologize. He and Sanha would have a good laugh over everything, and then they would never speak again.

It was a bleak future, but it was also a safe future.

Myungjun had mentioned multiple times that the universe used to hate him, but now it showered him in nothing but love. Minhyuk wondered if the universe directed its hate toward someone else.

Minhyuk wondered if _he_ was that someone else, because the universe sure as hell wasn't on his side. Sanha ran into him one day, and that was the day Minhyuk waged war against the universe.

“Oh, sorry about that!” Sanha had apologized and bowed and Minhyuk _thought_ he would be able to make his escape, but then Sanha gasped. “Hey, I know you!”

There were other students around, and Minhyuk shifted uncomfortably before glaring at Sanha. If his secret was spilled – if people knew he was a superhero, then he and Jinwoo would have to move. And if they had to move, Minhyuk would never forgive himself for putting Jinwoo out of his way. “You don't know me,” Minhyuk responded harshly, and Sanha blinked.

“But you-”

“Not _here_.”

Minhyuk's warning tone managed to shut Sanha up, and Minhyuk took the chance to scurry off, ducking his head and tightening the hold on the books in his hand.

He could never show his face in front of Sanha again after this. It was horribly embarrassing, and when he finally arrived home for the day, he instantly collapsed on the couch.

Jinwoo was on the other end of the couch, a cup of coffee in his hand and a confused gaze. “Are you okay?”

Minhyuk moaned, and Jinwoo seemed more curious. “Did something happen at school?”

Another moan.

“Was it Sanha?”

“How'd you know?” Minhyuk's head shot up and he stared at Jinwoo with wide eyes. His best friend was grinning widely.

“School never bothers you, and your classmates never bother you, but whenever you talk about Sanha, you squish your face up into a pillow.” Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee. “You're so obvious. And you're _so_ in love.”

“I'm not in love,” Minhyuk defended. “I barely know the kid.”

“Doesn't matter. You're totally in love with Sanha.”

Minhyuk threw one of the couch pillows at Jinwoo, who just barely managed to dodge it. “Hey! I could have spilled the coffee everywhere!”

Minhyuk's response to that was a roll of his eyes, and he got up from the couch with his backpack. “How come I'm the only one that acts like an adult around here?”

“You literally threw a pillow at me. That's not a very adult-like thing to do.”

Minhyuk had plans to ignore Jinwoo and trudge into his room, but then Jinwoo was talking again. “You know I love you, Minhyuk.” Minhyuk froze. “I mean, in a different way than I love Myungjun, or than you love Sanha-”

“I said I don't love him.”

“-but I still love you.” Jinwoo continued as if Minhyuk hadn't interrupted. “And I get how it feels to be a superhero. I am one, so I understand. No one else gets it. But...people are either scared or in awe of your powers. And the ones who should love you unconditionally just _don't_. I know your parents...I know they didn't understand and they didn't _try_ to understand. I'm sorry if I'm not exactly what you wanted to grow up with. But just know that it's okay to love someone.”

Minhyuk swallowed nervously before glancing back behind him at Jinwoo. The older boy was still seated, a serious expression taking over his gaze, and Minhyuk stared.

“Alright, Minhyuk?”

“It's not that.” Minhyuk cleared his throat. “I just thought he was about to reveal my secret to everyone. I think Sanha knows.”

“Knows...?” Jinwoo blinked, and suddenly a blush was taking over his cheeks. “Wait, seriously? That's it? That's why you're upset.”

“Well, I don't want us to have to move.”

Jinwoo slapped a hand across his eyes and groaned. “Go to your room and don't look at me again for the next couple of months, you hear? God, I thought this was a good, deep moment, and you just-”

“Hyung, I think you're the best replacement for parents. I wouldn't want to grow up with anyone else.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, and Minhyuk wondered if Jinwoo even heard, but then the older of the two mumbled, “Make that a year. Don't look at me for a year.”

Minhyuk laughed and finally went into his room as per Jinwoo's request.

Despite the fact that Jinwoo's advice was for an entirely different matter, Minhyuk still felt lighter inside, and he stared at Sanha's number in his phone.

One day, he would take that leap. It would be okay to love Sanha.

* * *

Minhyuk didn't mean to meet up with Sanha again so quickly. He was supposed to _avoid_ the kid, not run into him a second time in the lunchroom. Fortunately, he didn't spill any of his milk this time around, but it was still embarrassing enough that he stuttered out an apology.

“It's _you_!” Sanha announced, and Minhyuk moved to leave, but then Sanha quickly blurted, “You spilled milk on me a few weeks ago!”

Minhyuk stopped and looked up at Sanha with wide eyes. That wasn't what he expected Sanha to say.

“You almost spilled milk on me _again_ , too.”

Minhyuk swallowed nervously and glanced down at his lunch tray. “Oh.” But Sanha was just staring, as if waiting for something else to be said, and Minhyuk quickly added on, “I'm sorry about that. I meant to- to apologize-”

“Last time we met, you acted _really_ weird, too.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah.” Sanha nodded his head seriously. “You told me I didn't know you, and then you told me not to say anything right there. Which was weird. And, I mean, I _don't_ know you, but we can get to know each other, right?”

Minhyuk had no idea where this conversation had even headed, and he had no idea where it was going to continue to head. Why was Sanha acting this friendly with him? Why couldn't Sanha just laugh and go about his way?

If they became friends, Minhyuk would fall even more in love with Sanha, and he couldn't handle that right at this moment.

“So what's your name?”

“Mine?” Minhyuk wasn't meeting Sanha's eyes. “Minhyuk. Park Minhyuk.”

“Awesome! I'm Sanha! I think I'm younger than you, though. You're not in my class, at least.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Sanha was smiling widely, Minhyuk noticed when he allowed himself to take a peek. He had braces and cute freckles across his nose and he really wasn't Minhyuk's type.

But then why did Minhyuk's heart hammer so nervously in his chest?

“So I can call you my hyung, then?”

“Whatever- whatever you'd like.” Minhyuk shifted his tray in his hands. “I should sit down now, though, so I can finish eating.”

“Can I join you?”

Sanha looked excited, and there really wasn't a way to actually reject Sanha's request, so Minhyuk nodded instead. The excitement on Sanha's face just grew as the taller boy followed Minhyuk to his usual spot, at the end of a table away from all of the other students.

“Wow, you must be a loner,” Sanha commented.

Minhyuk shrugged his shoulders. “I just don't have time to make friends, really.”

“Same here! I mean, I _was_ the same. I used to work at a cafe and it took up all my time, but then remember that super villain that attacked some buildings and fought with those cool superheroes?”

Minhyuk cleared his throat and nodded. He prayed to whoever was listening that Sanha wasn't going to end up recognizing him.

“I worked where the super villain attacked, and he destroyed the entire building! I had to go to the hospital, too. It was pretty scary!”

Minhyuk thought he was going to get out of this without Sanha mentioning his secret identity, but that was a little too much to hope for when he had become an enemy of the universe.

“There were two superheroes; Jinjin and Rocky. I like Rocky a lot. My best friend is in love with Jinjin, though.” Sanha giggled and took a sip of his juice before continuing. “He calls Jinjin _Turtle Boy_.”

“Does he?” Minhyuk knew this, but he tried making himself look interested, simply to save his own skin. “To his face, or...?” He knew Myungjun still called Jinwoo _Turtle Boy_ , if their dates spent inside the apartment were anything to go by.

Sanha giggled again, then shook his head. “I can't tell,” he whispered. “It's a secret.”

Sanha sucked at keeping secrets, and Minhyuk was doubly happy that Sanha had no clue who he was.

The rest of the lunch passed just fine, though Sanha did a majority of the talking and Minhyuk just listened along and nodded his head. They ended up exchanging phone numbers (and Minhyuk never mentioned that he had Sanha's number already programmed into his phone).

He received a text on the way home: _in case you were wondering, you dont need to pay me back for the sweater!!! <3_

He couldn't hide his grin from Jinwoo, but Jinwoo seemed understanding enough, and he just smiled fondly at Minhyuk as he prepared dinner for the two of them.

* * *

Sanha, Minhyuk discovered, loved to text. Minhyuk received at least eleven messages to start off his day with, and by the time he went to bed at night, he was pretty sure the number of messages Sanha sent was up in the hundreds. It was something that Minhyuk wasn't used to. His phone vibrated constantly now, and it earned the attention of Myungjun, who noticed it finally while staying over and playing video games.

“Who's texting you so much?” Myungjun had asked, his eyes never once leaving the television screen.

Minhyuk scooped his phone up and cleared his throat. “No one.”

“Well this _no one_ must _really_ want to talk to you.” Myungjun cursed lightly as his character lost the duel, and he finally put his controller down and glanced over at Minhyuk. “Is it Sanha?”

Minhyuk never could lie. He clammed up too quickly with things like this, and his hesitation made Myungjun grin mischievously. “ _Oooh_ ,” Myungjun teased. “Are you in love with Sanha?”

“You sound just like Jinwoo.”

Myungjun paused his game completely and was placing his full attention onto Minhyuk, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the staring. “Have you guys been on a date yet?”

“Oh, god.” Minhyuk collapsed on the couch and decided that burying his face in a pillow was a better option than conversing with Myungjun. “Leave me alone.”

Myungjun laughed loudly and nudged at Minhyuk. “Aww, no need to be embarrassed! You're so cute and shy, Minhyuk! Sanha will totally agree to go on a date with you!”

Minhyuk tried dislodging Myungjun's hand, but the guy sure was persistent. It took Jinwoo finally walking into the room, hair still wet from his shower and towel around his neck, for Myungjun to pull away. “Is everything alright?” Jinwoo asked, looking slightly confused.

“Minhyuk and Sanha are texting!”

Jinwoo only nodded his head, and Myungjun's smile fell. “Wait, did you know?”

“Yeah.”

Minhyuk stared at Jinwoo with wide eyes – and a quick glance at Myungjun ensured him that Myungjun was just as shocked. “Wait- how did _you_ know?” Minhyuk asked.

“You're obvious, Minhyuk.” Jinwoo grinned lightly and sat down on the couch near Minhyuk's feet. “We had just discussed Sanha, and you came home grinning and you're actually _texting_ finally on your phone, so I figured it was Sanha.”

“You didn't tell me?” Myungjun asked in irritation. “I should have been the first to know!”

“Well, it _is_ Minhyuk's choice whether or not to tell, not yours.”

“But Sanha's _my_ friend!”

“Then maybe Sanha should tell you.”

Myungjun couldn't find a response to that, so he just leaned back on the couch from his spot on the floor and gave a small huff.

Minhyuk felt terribly humiliated, however, with the knowledge that _two_ people now knew of his little crush. “Neither of you can tell _anyone_ ,” he warned, and then pointed a finger at Myungjun. “ _Especially_ not Sanha.” And when Myungjun stuck a tongue out at him, Minhyuk pointed at himself. “You don't call me Lightning Rod for no reason.”

“Oh, shove it, you wouldn't do anything to me.” Myungjun picked his controller up again. “Like I would tell, anyway. There's no fun in speeding up someone's relationship.”

Minhyuk let his hands drop to his sides as Myungjun began to start up his game once more. The two superheroes watched the screen for a few minutes before Jinwoo spoke.

“Wait, Minhyuk, did you just threaten to incinerate my boyfriend?”

“That's why I always call you slow, Turtle Boy,” Myungjun mumbled.

* * *

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Minhyuk had become accustomed to Sanha's random questions during their lunch breaks. He still _hadn't_ become accustomed to seeing Sanha sit down beside him and ignore all of the other friends he had. Minhyuk was grateful, though, because he had no one besides Sanha.

He was really falling hard for Sanha, no matter what he did to stop it.

“I'm not sure,” Minhyuk answered. “I really haven't thought about it too much.”

Sanha scoffed and pointed a chopstick at Minhyuk. “You need to have some sort of plan, though. You're older than me and will have to go to a university and then what will you do?”

Minhyuk shrugged.

“Okay, so let's just think of something you _like_ to do. What's something you like doing, Hyung?”

It took a few seconds for Minhyuk to blurt out, “I sort of like to dance in my spare time.”

Sanha's eyes lit up. “You do? You never told me _that_! Why didn't you ever tell me? What type of dance do you do?”

“A little bit of everything.”

“Ballet?”

“Sure.”

“What about tap dance?”

“Yeah.”

Sanha's eyes sparkled, and Minhyuk stared. Something in him swelled up. Some feeling he hardly felt before, a weird feeling, a sudden burst of _pride_. He was so proud to see Sanha look so _impressed_. Years of hardly befriending anyone, save for Jinwoo, left him more desperate than he had realized for attention. Sanha was giving him all of that attention suddenly, and Minhyuk wanted as much of Sanha's attention as possible.

“Can you show me sometime?”

Minhyuk found himself nodding his head before he could stop it. Dancing in front of Sanha would be terribly nerve-wracking, but perhaps Sanha would look at him just as he was now. It was worth potentially embarrassing himself for the chance that Sanha would actually stare at him in awe.

“This is so cool! I had _no clue_ you were a dancer, Hyung!” Sanha giggled brightly and went back to his food. “I've tried to dance before, but I'm really no good at it. I think my limbs are too long.” As if to prove his point, Sanha wiggled his arms around and Minhyuk had to hold back laughter. “But I still think it would be really cool to know how to dance. You're so lucky!”

“I could probably teach you.” The words came out suddenly, and Sanha slammed his hands on the table, earning the both of them surprised glances from everyone within a ten-foot radius. Minhyuk hunched over with the effort to not draw any attention to himself.

“Really? You will?”

Minhyuk nodded. “If...you want? Later on, maybe?”

“Yeah! Of course I want to! You're the best, Hyung!”

Minhyuk hoped his cheeks weren't blushing. He cleared his throat. “A-Anyway, was there a reason you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up?”

Sanha seemed to remember his original conversation point. “Oh. Yeah! I was just wondering if we were going to break apart when we got older. You know, if you were to go off and do one thing and I did another thing. That'd suck, 'cause you're my best friend now.”

Minhyuk had no clue he had become Sanha's best friend. His eyes were wide as he stared, and he suddenly noticed a blush coming to Sanha's cheeks, and the boy's eyes were averted. “We're best friends, right?” Sanha tried to confirm upon noticing Minhyuk's confusion.

“We...yeah. I...thought we were supposed to make it official.”

“Do you want it to be official?”

Minhyuk clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “It'd be nice, wouldn't it?”

Sanha was quiet for a few seconds before reaching out and grabbing Minhyuk's hand, that wide grin showing off his braces and endearing himself to Minhyuk more than he already had. “I hereby declare-”

“ _Officially_ declare,” Minhyuk interrupted.

“Yup. I hereby _officially_ declare-” Sanha winked and Minhyuk had to clear his throat once more. “-that Minhyuk and I are now best friends and will never be apart.”

Somehow, Minhyuk could imagine Sanha saying the exact same thing at a far later date and in far different circumstances.

* * *

Minhyuk finally made up his mind: he was going to confess to Yoon Sanha.

(He realized he needed to confess after a conversation through text message.

_[From Sanha]: can you see the stars where you are?_

_[To Sanha]: yeah_

_[From Sanha]: choose one to live on and tell me which one_

_[To Sanha]: thats stupid. stars are too hot to live on_

_[From Sanha]: pretend they're not too hot_

_[To Sanha]: fine. The biggest one out there. It's a little yellow._

_[From Sanha]: I think thats mars. You want to live on Mars?_

_[To Sanha]: its not a star but sure. Plenty of room and space :)_

_[From Sanha]: which you wont be getting any of because im moving to mars with you._

Minhyuk had a screenshot of Sanha's last reply and he stared at it every night.)

He had chosen a Friday to confess, and his nerves seemed to be getting the best of him. When he woke up he felt dizzy and disoriented and a little ill, and it wasn't until he sat down at the table for breakfast when he realized he was actually sick and not just suffering from nerves.

And, even then, it took Jinwoo exclaiming, “You look _terrible_!” and feeling his forehead to confirm that he had a fever.

“I can't skip school,” Minhyuk muttered in defiance, but he was no match for Jinwoo's strength, and he was pushed all the way back to his bedroom. Jinwoo didn't even bother trying to get Minhyuk to change; instead, he plopped Minhyuk right down on the bed with instructions to, “Get under your blankets and go back to sleep right now.”

Minhyuk was still set to argue, but the moment his head touched the pillow, he lost the will to reject a day off. He really _was_ sick, he figured, and it would probably be a terrible idea to head to school anyway.

Besides that, he felt a little happy when Jinwoo fretted over him. He was brought medicine and soup, and Jinwoo made sure to keep a damp rag on his forehead at all times, brushing his bangs up as he cared for Minhyuk.

It probably would have been a perfect day (minus getting the chance to confess to Sanha) had Minhyuk not dozed off and suddenly woken up to an empty home.

He called out for Jinwoo, hopeful he would be able to have some hot tea to relieve his sore throat, but no sounds came from anywhere else in the apartment. It was rare for Jinwoo to leave without telling him, so Minhyuk pulled himself out of bed and peeked out of his room.

In any case, it seemed as if Jinwoo left in a hurry. The lights were still on, the police scanner was mumbling sounds nearby, and a bowl of lukewarm soup lay on the counter. Minhyuk stared at the scene for a few seconds before shuffling into Jinwoo's room.

His superhero outfit was gone.

Minhyuk bit his lip and collapsed face-first on Jinwoo's bed. If _he_ wasn't so sick, he would be able to go and help his friend and partner. A rush of fear flowed through him; what if Jinwoo was in trouble? What if it was something really big this time and he couldn't help?

Multiple scenarios ran through his head, each worse than the other, and when Minhyuk fell asleep once more, his dreams were plagued with terrible images of Jinwoo hurt and in pain and Minhyuk could never reach him properly.

He woke up a second time to noise. Someone was in his apartment, from the hushed voices nearby. Two hushed voices, actually, considering he heard a second one, deeper, Jinwoo's voice from the sounds of it. He sighed in relief and moved to greet his best friend.

He stopped in the hallway, though, out of sight from the living room when he realized one of the voices, the higher-pitched voice, _Myungjun's_ voice, was laced with sobs. He couldn't hear what was being said or what was going on, but when he peeked around the corner and found Jinwoo holding tightly onto a crying Myungjun, he wondered if he truly _wanted_ to hear what was going on.

Besides, Minhyuk could put the pieces together quite easily. Jinwoo had superhero business to attend to, and when he returned, he was with Myungjun, and Myungjun – arguably the happiest person on the face of the planet – could hardly speak properly and was crying more than Minhyuk had seen someone cry before.

Minhyuk let his back hit the wall and he slid down to the ground, staring at the floor beneath him.

They had seen something similar before. Jinwoo had been panicked when a villain had attacked Myungjun for the first time. This time seemed worse than before, somehow, and Minhyuk wondered how Jinwoo could handle it. _How_ could Jinwoo handle his boyfriend being placed in such danger from simply being seen with him?

If Minhyuk confessed to Sanha, he would put Sanha in the same path that Myungjun was currently in.

As he listened to Myungjun's breath hitch and Jinwoo's voice crack during his whispering of comforting words, Minhyuk decided that being sick was probably a blessing.

He would never confess to Sanha.

* * *

Minhyuk's decision was probably one of the hardest things he had to work with in his life. When he was able to attend school once more, he hid in the library come lunch time. Sanha texted him multiple times throughout the day, and Minhyuk deleted each and every text.

He thought ignoring Sanha would be easier than this, but not only was _Sanha_ relentless, Minhyuk's heart was as well. It tugged and pulled and told his brain in desperation that all he really wanted to do was talk to Sanha.

But Minhyuk's brain, his logic, stayed firm. Sanha was better off without him, anyway. Sanha was better off not being in harm's way and suffering simply because Minhyuk was a superhero. And if Sanha knew, Minhyuk was pretty sure Sanha would thank him.

Jinwoo seemed to notice the change, however. He watched as Minhyuk's phone vibrated. “Is that Sanha?”

Minhyuk shrugged and chewed some beef.

“He's been contacting you a lot.”

“He always contacts me a lot.”

“And you _usually_ contact him back.”

Minhyuk didn't have a response for that, and to ensure Jinwoo didn't notice his forlorn expression, he kept his eyes down. Unfortunately, Jinwoo was always rather in tune with Minhyuk's emotions, and this currently seemed no different.

“Did something happen?”

“No.”

“Then why aren't you picking up your phone?”

“Maybe I don't feel like talking right now. I'll reply to him before I go to bed tonight.” He didn't feel like eating anymore, not with Jinwoo's inquisitive gaze, so he pushed his food away from him. “I have to go study,” he mumbled. “Exams are coming up.”

No answer came from Jinwoo, and so Minhyuk scooped up his phone and retreated to his bedroom. Just as he did, Sanha sent another text.

_[From Sanha]: are you ignoring me?? :(_

Minhyuk's heart forced his fingers to type out a response, but his brain took over just then and deleted the message, and then deleted Sanha's message.

Soon he would find the willpower to actually block Sanha's number, and maybe he could convince Jinwoo to actually let him drop out from high school so he would never have to face Sanha again. Until then, he supposed hiding was just as viable as an option.

Or, it would have been had Sanha not been an incredibly tricky person to work with.

Minhyuk's spot in the library was found out. He caught sight of eyes peering at him from behind a bookshelf one day, and after he had jumped from his spot and spilled the contents of his sandwich on the carpeted ground, he recognized the weird, orange hair and height of the intruder. “Sa-Sanha?”

Sanha stepped out in plain view, a pout across his lips.

Minhyuk sighed and looked down at his food. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you that, too. I thought we always ate lunch together. Isn't that what best friends do?”

Minhyuk nodded his head. “It is.”

“Then why aren't you eating lunch with me? And you're not answering any of my texts! Did I say something to hurt you?”

He didn't know if it was possible to let Sanha down lightly. He didn't know if Sanha would cry or not. He hadn't yet seen Sanha cry, but Myungjun once told him that Sanha could be a little sensitive sometimes.

“No...not really.”

He was reminded of those cheesy romance dramas that Jinwoo would watch when he had nothing else to work on. Breakups were always messy in those, but the male lead would typically cushion the blow with a soft, “It's me, not you.”

Minhyuk could cushion this blow.

“It's me, not you.”

“It's what?” Sanha looked confused.

“It's _me_.”

Sanha was still confused, and Minhyuk regretted his choice of words.

“I-I mean...it's nothing you said or did. I just need some time to myself.” Minhyuk cleared his throat. “I'm, uh, I've been busy a lot recently. I need to clear my head.”

“You've been clearing your head for a few weeks now.”

Minhyuk shifted on his feet. “Sanha, can we stop being best friends?” He didn't look up. He didn't want to see the hurt he knew was on Sanha's face. “I-In fact, can we stop being friends? I'm busy.”

“You're busy?”

Minhyuk nodded his head. Sanha's words were laced with betrayal, and Minhyuk really couldn't blame him for that. It truly was all _his_ fault. It wasn't Sanha's fault at all.

“You're too busy to be my friend?”

He hated hearing Sanha's voice sound like that. He hated knowing that he was the reason Sanha was suddenly so upset.

But he nodded anyway. Hopefully this would solidify everything. Hopefully this would keep Sanha out of danger.

“Are...are you serious, Minhyuk-hyung?”

“Yeah.”

His heart was screaming at him to fix this somehow, to stop pushing Sanha away. But Sanha would be _safe_ if he did this. He wouldn't have to go rescue Sanha and deal with Sanha crying from the pure fear of being in complete danger.

“We're not friends anymore?”

“We're not.”

Sanha stayed where he was, as if waiting for Minhyuk to suddenly declare the entire thing some sort of terrible joke. When Minhyuk remained silent, Sanha finally moved. He rushed out of the room, leaving Minhyuk standing there with a ruined lunch and a ruined heart.

Minhyuk had to remind himself that this was for Sanha's own good.

Sanha would be safe now.

* * *

Life had actually become rather lonesome after he pushed Sanha aside. He didn't receive text messages anymore, and he was once again by himself when lunch came around. He regularly checked his screenshot message of Sanha's reply concerning Mars, and he couldn't help but wish that the two of them really _could_ go to Mars together, where they wouldn't have to worry about villains or powers or anything else that would stand in their way.

Everything was a chore now, and Minhyuk realized the universe _did_ hate him. He woke up, went to school, came home to do superhero nonsense until late at night, and he would study until he fell asleep on his bed. There wasn't much to look forward to, save for Jinwoo's scheduled movie nights, but even those were spent with longing and regret.

He trudged into the kitchen one morning, still in his pajamas, and almost had a heart attack when he heard a voice say, “God, you look like shit.”

When he looked over, he realized Myungjun was sitting at the table, chewing on some kimchi that Jinwoo had set aside sometime yesterday.

Minhyuk stared at him for a few seconds, then asked, “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I spent the night.” Myungjun took a sip of coffee, then added, “Jinwoo's still asleep, so I'm your mom for the day. Here, have some kimchi.” He pushed his bowl closer to Minhyuk.

“No, I mean, I thought you and Jinwoo broke up?”

Myungjun raised his eyebrows, then grabbed the kimchi. “On second thought, you don't get breakfast for saying stupid stuff. Why would we break up?”

“The...the building and- I just thought Jinwoo would have broken up with you!”

“What? What the hell are you talking about? You're so weird, Minhyuk. Did Jinwoo say anything about breaking up with me?”

“No, but...” Minhyuk gestured wildly at the front door. “That night when you got caught and were hanging upside down from that skyscraper!”

Myungjun shuddered. “I hate heights, don't remind me about that.”

“But you and Jinwoo didn't break up?”

“Again, _why_ would we break up?”

“Because it's dangerous to be around him if you're going to get caught in situations like that, so I thought Jinwoo would have figured that out and just...broken up with you.” He felt like an idiot as he explained himself, mostly in part due to Myungjun's incredulous stare.

“Maybe _I_ should make that decision,” Myungjun responded, and he sounded slightly offended. “I'm not some damsel in distress character, you know. I figured out what I was getting into when I decided to date Jinwoo. And, yeah, okay, the skyscraper incident was _terrifying_ , but I'm a big boy. I handled myself just fine.”

Minhyuk took a seat. “I saw you sobbing into Jinwoo's arms that night.”

“ _Dammit_ , Minhyuk, you're a creep.” Myungjun's face was red with embarrassment, and he took another sip of coffee. “I got scared, sure, and I cried a bit, but think of how much more I'd cry if I couldn't see Jinwoo anymore. I really love him, and if he broke up just because I might have a scare every now and then, I'd be devastated. You also have to remember that I had guns and knives pointed at me even before I got involved with Jinwoo.”

Minhyuk remembered, at least, Jinwoo complaining about having to always save some attractive guy from danger. He hadn't realized that Myungjun was the so-called _attractive_ guy.

“And is this about you and Sanha?”

The question came completely from left field and jerked Minhyuk from his thoughts. “What?”

Myungjun smirked, satisfied with having found out the truth. “Sanha's upset because his best friend from high school suddenly decided that they're no longer friends at all. I'm assuming that's you.”

Minhyuk's lack of an answer made Myungjun laugh. “Sanha can take care of himself as well as I can. Just tell him who you are and let _him_ make the decision whether or not you guys will be best friends.”

“He'll say yes.”

“Exactly.”

“And what if I have to go save him from a skyscraper one day? I'll never forgive myself if he gets into trouble because of me.” Minhyuk let his head fall until it rested on the wooden table. “I'd rather die than have Sanha hang from a building like you did.”

Myungjun sighed. “First off, I told you not to talk about the skyscraper stuff. _Second_ off, it's possible Sanha could get in trouble regardless of whether or not you two are involved. Wouldn't you rather be in a position where you can easily save him, rather than running away and learning later down the road that he got hurt in a preventable accident?”

Myungjun's words made sense. Minhyuk hated hearing sense when all he wanted was to have an easy solution to his problem.

“So I should tell him I'm a superhero?”

“Your decision.” Myungjun finished off his kimchi and then stood from his chair. “I say for for it, though. Because Sanha's a cool kid and he really likes Minhyuk.”

“You said he liked Rocky.”

“Yeah, I think you changed his mind, though, with how much he's been whining to me about _Minhyuk_.” Myungjun winked at Minhyuk and took a step back from the table. “Now hurry and get ready so I can spend the rest of the day with Jinwoo without you sitting here whining to me about _Sanha_.”

“You two are so gross,” Minhyuk mumbled, but he felt a little more energized, in any case, and he rushed back to his room.

Perhaps the answer wasn't going to be as simple, but nothing in life was ever simple.

And if being with Sanha would be chaotic, Minhyuk realized he didn't shoot lightning bolts out of his hands for nothing. He could handle chaos.

* * *

Sanha was avoiding _him_ now, however. Sanha was _really_ good at avoiding him. For such a tall, long-limbed kid, Sanha was _great_ at hiding, and Minhyuk nearly chased him all over the building in order to apologize.

In the end, he just sent a text message: _meet me at the park near the school around 5. im sorry. I want to make our friendship official again. Please come._

And then Minhyuk waited.

He waited until half an hour past five, and when it appeared Sanha wasn't going to show or even text back, Minhyuk gathered his backpack with a sigh and stood from his seat on the swing to begin his lonely trek home.

He didn't blame Sanha, honestly. He wouldn't want to be friends with some guy who destroyed their relationship in a matter of seconds.

He trudged along the sidewalk, but the shortcut he turned onto actually already had people standing nearby, talking in hushed voices to a kid with weirdly-dyed hair-

Minhyuk had to do a double-take before realizing that it was _Sanha_ right there. “Sanha-!” he exclaimed, rushing forward before Sanha could run off.

Except it would be difficult for Sanha to run off, considering one of the three other men nearby had a knife pointed at him.

“Great, not a fucking witness,” another man huffed. “Grab him.”

Minhyuk saw another knife and realized that he had unknowingly stepped into a mugging situation. Sanha looked _terrified_ , and Myungjun's words came back to Minhyuk - _“Wouldn't you rather be in a position where you can easily save him, rather than running away and learning later down the road that he got hurt in a preventable accident?”_

Well, at least he was here now to prevent this accident. He had been planning on telling Sanha of his superhero status, anyway, and perhaps this wasn't exactly the situation he had wanted it to be, but there would be no doubt in Sanha's mind that Minhyuk was telling the truth with this.

So once the man was a few feet away, Minhyuk lazily held up a hand and fired out a shot of lightning. It made the man fly back and hit a brick wall before falling to the ground.

“Alright.” Minhyuk cracked the knuckles in his fingers in order to make himself seem intimidating. It appeared to have worked, because the men were backing away. “Which one of you is next?”

He would have _loved_ to show off more in front of Sanha (a quick glance was enough to inform him that Sanha was in absolute awe), but the men were already running, tripping over each other in an effort not to be blasted into another brick wall.

It was a slight disappointment to be over so quickly, but Minhyuk supposed he made his point clear enough, and he looked sheepishly at Sanha. “Sorry for being late. Did they hurt you?”

“Y-Y-You're _Rocky_!” Sanha pointed at Minhyuk, his finger nearly hitting Minhyuk's face. “You're seriously _Rocky_!”

Minhyuk bit his lip and gestured over at the man lying unconscious on the ground. “Yeah. Probably shouldn't have done that. Hopefully they won't remember what I look like. I think it's dark in this alley, don't you?”

Sanha blinked, and Minhyuk cleared his throat. “Wha-What are you doing by yourself out here, anyway?”

“I was coming to meet you. You sent me a text-” Sanha shook his head. “Never mind _that_ , you're _Rocky_! Have you been Rocky this whole time?”

“I didn't just suddenly _gain_ superpowers, if that's what you're wondering.”

“You saved me back when my cafe had gotten ruined!”

“Jinjin had saved you,” Minhyuk responded. “I saved you here, though.”

“Well, you were, like, the first person I saw when I woke up.” Sanha was suddenly grinning. “Is this why you said you were too busy for friends?”

Minhyuk took a few seconds to formulate his response. “Since...since you're friends with Myungjun, I guess you remember when he was on the skyscraper-”

“He doesn't like to talk about it.”

“Yeah, I figured. Anyway, I saw...saw how it affected him and Jinwoo, and I just didn't want, um, I didn't want you to be scared or targeted or anything.”

Sanha gave a huff of breath and looked very much like a petulant child as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I won't get scared! I'd feel better knowing that you were around to rescue me, anyway. It would suck if it was like today and I had no idea you'd be coming to save me from evil criminals!”

That was another point of view that Minhyuk had yet to think about, and he supposed it made a lot of sense. He felt silly for trying to ruin their friendship.

“So...?”

“So what?” Sanha asked, and Minhyuk struggled to make a response.

“We're friends again, right?”

Sanha pursed his lips up before holding out a hand. “Can we make it official?” he asked.

Minhyuk couldn't help the smile that came across his face, and he grabbed onto Sanha's hand. “Deal.”

* * *

Nightly movie nights became much more entertaining now that Minhyuk didn't have to endure Jinwoo and Myungjun being a cute couple while he sat on the corner of the couch by himself. Instead, Sanha was always invited, and Sanha threw popcorn at Myungjun whenever he got too gooey with Jinwoo.

Minhyuk soon partook in the popcorn throwing, as well, though he mostly aimed for Jinwoo.

“I don't think I've paid attention to any of the movies we've seen,” Sanha commented one evening as Minhyuk walked him home.

“Well, neither has Jinwoo or Myungjun, honestly,” Minhyuk responded. “Too busy kissing each other.”

“ _Ew_!” Sanha squealed, bringing a hand up to cover his face. “They're so _gross_!”

Minhyuk grinned. He liked the way Sanha's voice cracked when he got too enthusiastic about something. He liked the way Sanha could always make him laugh. He liked _Sanha_ in general.

“Is it gross because it's the two of them, or is it gross because you don't like kissing?”

Sanha reached out to take Minhyuk's hand. Their fingers fit perfectly together and Minhyuk realized that he felt as if he fit perfectly into a puzzle that consisted solely of Sanha. Somehow, he was _meant_ to always be here.

“Just because it's the two of them! I wouldn't _mind_ kissing.”

They had been dating for a few weeks and yet neither of them had taken the initiative just yet. Minhyuk was too embarrassed to, and Sanha seemed equally embarrassed. They hadn't even discussed it, save for right now, and Minhyuk wished he had somehow managed to subtly ask Jinwoo how he was supposed to kiss someone.

Jinwoo seemed like an expert at this point.

“Would you mind kissing me?” he questioned quietly.

He didn't have to look at Sanha to know that his boyfriend was blushing. Still, he looked anyway, and Sanha had a deep red blush lining his cheeks. His eyes were averted and he was licking at his lips. “May-maybe.”

“We've been dating for a while-”

Before he could say anything else, Sanha suddenly dipped down and planted a kiss on Minhyuk's cheeks. Nothing was said, and Sanha was walking as if nothing ever happened, but Minhyuk was frozen in place.

Wasn't that his first kiss?

“San-”

“I can't hear you!” Sanha exclaimed loudly, and Minhyuk noticed that Sanha's blush had just intensified. “I'm suddenly completely deaf!”

“Sanha-”

“No one by that name here!” Sanha clapped his hands over his ears. “Lalala, can't _hear you!_ ”

Minhyuk knew that Sanha was extremely stubborn, and he probably _wouldn't_ uncover his ears unless there was a dire or surprising circumstance.

Minhyuk was great with initiating surprising circumstances.

He stood on his tip-toes, grabbed Sanha's face, and returned the kiss, making certain his lips gave a big smooch to Sanha's flushed cheek.

Now it was Sanha who froze and Minhyuk who wore a heavy blush.

“You said you wouldn't mind,” was Minhyuk's mumbled defense.

Sanha let out a small giggle (though it sounded much more like a squeal to Minhyuk) and his hands moved to cover his mouth. “Was this our first kiss?” he asked in a high-pitched whisper.

“Did...did you want it to be?”

Sanha nodded and removed his hands to allow a grin to shine through. Minhyuk couldn't help but grin back, and they both reached for each other's hand at the same time.

Minhyuk decided he was going to ensure that Sanha's hand was enveloped with his at all times for the rest of their lives.

 

**Author's Note:**

> WOW THAT ENDING LOL I NEED TO GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC
> 
> im much more confident with myungjin than i am with socky, and it probs shows very well here. but i've had two pages of this since december sometime, so i wanted to go ahead and finish what i already started.
> 
> send me dollar bills so i can add actual puns in to my next fic [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


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